


Andraste and June

by dontknowcats



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Elven Religion, F/M, Fluff, Religious Content, The Chantry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-11
Updated: 2015-05-11
Packaged: 2018-03-30 03:56:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,413
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3922012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dontknowcats/pseuds/dontknowcats
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Atheva and Cullen discuss their religions.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Andraste and June

**Author's Note:**

> I really just like the religions in Dragon Age, forgive me ;w;

Atheva followed along quietly, giving Cullen’s hand a reassuring squeeze when they entered the garden. She had asked him to teach her, and he had carefully agreed. It was something he had learned from a young age, but when he had realized how corrupt the Chantry could be he had retreated from the formed practices for a while, instead practicing how he wanted to.

_“Only the basis of the religion. None of the practices or anything of the sort,” he had bargained while lazily tracing the vallaslin upon her face._

_“I’ve heard a few things about the Chant, though. Maybe a little bit of it?” She questioned, her leg rubbing against his._

_“Perhaps. I suppose it depends on how long it takes until we’re interrupted,” he murmured, a smile on his lips as his finger rose to poke her nose._

_“Hopefully I’m a fast learner, then.” She crawled on top of him with a grin, ready for a more sinful discussion._

The door to the alcove was pushed open by Cullen with his free hand, his other holding hers tightly. She could tell he was nervous, scared of messing something up or somehow offending her. Atheva already knew how disrespectful the Chantry could be to non-humans, but she felt that with the right teacher everything could go well.

“You’ll be fine,” she said as she shut the door behind them. The two floor candelabras were still knocked over, but the seven small groups of candles upon the floor will still lit. The last time she had been inside the small room had been to speak with Cullen and reassure him that she was going nowhere. The way he had held her and spoke to her, when she thought of it she felt her eyes begin to water.

“Come,” he said, breaking her free from her thoughts as he extended a hand to her. She accepted it and moved to stand beside him. “This is Andraste. The woman who supposedly lead you from the Fade.” He chuckled, knowing the truth. Yet it didn’t bother him or waver his beliefs, something she found reassuring in him.

“She was born near where Denerim now stands. Apparently the Maker had been quiet, biding his time for something, but emerged from where he hid when he heard the beautiful song she sang for him. He offered to take her from the mortal world and make her his bride. She was reluctant for many reasons, including her unease at leaving her husband, who she had just wed. Andraste asked the Maker to return to his people and create a world of peace for them in Thedas. He agreed, only if Andraste could convince the people of Thedas to turn religions and find peace with the Maker. She was granted his power in order to help.”

Atheva listened quietly, keeping any sarcastic comments that came to mind to herself. She didn’t believe, having been raised by the Dalish, but she could understand how others would.

“Andraste began to preach the Maker as the true creator while Tevinter still held rule over Thedas, enforcing the Old Gods as the deities. She spoke of how one of the Old Gods turned on the world and became an Archdemon during the First Blight. Andraste led armies against the Tevinter kings ruling over Thedas, and as word of her beliefs and the Maker behind her she gained more and more soldiers. Her husband, Maferath, was her general. Eventually the two won hard-fought battle in the Minrathous, the capital of Tevinter, that proved the Maker’s might.

“While Maferath fought on the side of the Maker, he was believed to be jealous of Andraste’s betrothal to their god. After the victory in Minrathous he went behind his wife’s back and declared a truce with an Archon of the Imperium in exchange for Andraste. She was captured on her way to Nevarra and burned at the stake.”

Cullen looked at her expectantly, and she realized he was done explaining the background of Andraste.

“Jumping right on in, hm?” She asked with a smile. When he didn’t smile back, she continued on. “That’s really interesting thought. I don’t know how I feel about the whole… Bride of the Maker thing, but I like that Andraste was a strong woman and fought to save people under Tevinter rule. It would have been very interesting if she had helped me from the Fade.”

Finally Cullen smiled and nodded. “Believe me, it would have been _very_ interesting. The Chantry would have gone crazy knowing that a Dalish elf truly was the Herald of Andraste. They don’t even care much for city elves.”

Atheva’s lips tightened for a moment as she thought of her brethren living in the alienages and circles, dealing with more atrocities than their human counterparts who were supposedly doing the work of their Maker, even on the front lines.

“So, with the Templars we had to both train and study our days away, so to speak. On our day of rest, we recited the Chant.”

“Oh, the Chant of Light?” She asked, familiar with the collection of stories.

“Yes. Most Chantries have their own copy, but I doubt there’s one here. So I found one in the library with Dorian’s help,” he said with a grin as he produced the yellow leather-bound book. It looked old and dusty, even with his obvious attempts at cleaning it. “We won’t be going through all of it, but the basic ideals are magic should be controlled, all Thedosians have sinned and should therefore atone, that the spirits of the virtuous rise to the Maker in death, women are the purer of the sexes, and… other races such as the Qunari are further from the Maker and therefore need to be saved.”

The look on Atheva’s face made him clear his throat and continue.

“So, um, yes. The Chant of Light,” he muttered. “The entirety is far too long to read, so I felt that you might want to hear about Shartan. He was an elven slave in Tevinter who lead a rebellion to join Andraste. He has an entire Canticle dedicated to him.”

Atheva shut her eyes as Cullen opened up the book in his hands and cleared his throat before reading to her. Every so often she would nod, imagining herself with the elves who had become the creators of their own destinies, fighting against their masters’ hunters.

“’When the tale was finished, Andraste said to Shartan: ‘Truly, the Maker has called you, just as He called me, To be a Light for your People. The host you see before you march, Bearing His will north, where we shall deliver it To Minrathous, city of magisters, and we shall tear down The unassailable gates, and set all slaves free.’’”

A deep frown settled upon her face, and she knew he could see it but did not care.

“Let me continue,” he said with a lightness in his voice she hadn’t expected. “’And Shartan looked upon the Prophet Andraste And said: ‘The People will set ourselves free. Your host from the South may march Alongside us.’’” He glanced up from the pages to see the frown had changed to a small smile. “I thought you may like that.”

Cullen continued to the end of Shartan 10, where he finally shut the book and Atheva opened her eyes.

“I liked it. Of course, I’m a sucker for any time you tell me a story so it isn’t much different,” she said, running a hand through her hair absentmindedly.

“Ah, it’s a shame I left the hymns out of our lesson, then. You would convert quickly, I think.” He grinned down at her and gently brought the Chant to her forehead. “If you want to learn more, I’m sure no one will miss this from the library.”

“As long as I’m not called a beast, I believe I can bring myself to stomach it. I assume you’ll read to me in bed?”

“Whenever I can. And you can always ask for Vivienne to read to you as well,” he murmured as she took a hold of his hand. The book was lowered to his side as she led him towards the door.

“Well, I suppose. Tomorrow I get to tell you about the Creators and Fen’Harel, okay?” She opened the door and was momentarily blinded by the sunlight, turning back to him for a break from the harsh light.

“I’m eager to learn.”


End file.
